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Carolina Cuenca Interview
Tell me a
little bit about yourself, about your life? Where did you go to school, and
what classes did you study? What helped prepare you to become the artist that
you are today?
I was born in Madrid (Spain) My artistic leanings were already present
when I was in primary school, but it was in high school that I started to
concentrate on drawing. Leaving my
crayons behind and getting my hands on real pencils was like a whole new world!
My brother’s comics soon fell within my
grasp. I remember the Fantastic Four by
John Buscema and Tarzan by Russ Manning made quite an impact.
Naturally I had to continue my schoolwork, but I
never lost my motivation, and in high school I started drawing in earnest. At the time I wanted to be a comic book
artist and found whatever time I could to do my own comic strips.
There was one artist in particular who was like a
teacher to me, as I pored over his comics to learn all I could about
drawing. That was Alan Davis – one of
the best.
I didn’t go to University, and it was hard to
find an alternative to studying Fine Arts in those days. I studied a number of courses, workshops,
trying to apply technique to my drawings, but it was not enough, and I ended up
learning more on my own.
My attempts to break into the world of comics
were not successful. In the end I went
from studying at a good friend’s airbrush school to the world of animation,
almost by accident. I started out as
Layout Assistant and worked in many pre-production positions on 2D and 3D
animated films and series. Twelve years
on my career in focused in two areas: Storyboard and Character Design.
How do you
go about designing, and what goes through your mind, from start to end?
First I take time to read the script. I make notes, and add them to those of the
director. This is an essential part of
the work for me, understanding the character’s personality and the type of
story they are set in.
There are times when you don’t have any of these
things, just a couple of brief notions that give you an idea where to start,
but then your job naturally gets complicated.
Sometimes you get led down blind alleys or come up with nothing. In the end you get over it and finish your
contribution through hard work, constant brainstorming and trial and
error. These situations can also make
you stronger and more creative as an artist.
You broaden you scope, reach for new ideas and finally the characters
start to emerge.
I am usually surrounded by art books and digital
media that help me find my character’s situation. Checking out all the resources available on
the internet is also a great way of finding inspiration.
There is certainly one aspect of Character Design
I consider the most valuable and also the most difficult, and that’s the visual
impact from a psychological point of view.
Not only must you satisfy the director, but you
must also reach the public, be they children or adults. Form, shadows, character and color. All very basic at the beginning, but handling
these separate elements allow you to effectively zoom in on the details in the
end.
It may sound nice and easy, but it’s hard to
apply it to your daily work. Sometimes I
can get caught up with details when I begin a drawing, just because an idea
sprung to mind at the time, but then I have to scrap it and start over again.
You can use any system you like for your own
designs, but the work routine you choose will usually have an effect on your
personal life, which is not a bad thing.
What is a
typical day for you, and who are the people you work with?
For me, A normal day consists of making as many
sketches as you can. You start by going
over the notes you have on the character, where they are located and with whom
they interact. From there I make some
rough sketches, often just a silhouette.
If the production already has finished characters I put them side by
side to compare sizes and forms to make sure they fit in.
On a social level, sometimes you go and chat with
colleagues. Everyone needs some time to
relax, share a joke and clear their thoughts.
It’s also a great moment to show your work and get opinions from your
peers. If you’re stuck for an idea, a
different perspective can be what you need.
My colleagues are from a wide variety of
backgrounds, some of which have nothing to do with animation, but have shared
the same experiences. That helps a lot,
because you gain experience not only by working, but also by learning from the
people around you.
What are
some of the things that you have worked on? (Books, Movies, Games, Comics)
I started out doing illustrations for
brochures. I wanted to illustrate
comics, but the closest I got was doing sleeve artwork for books about them.
After that I moved to pre-production of TV series
and them films, first in 2D and then in 3D.
Is there a
design you have done that you are most happy with?
Actually, yes.
I worked on something a number of years ago from some ideas that came
from my brother. If I get round to it I
would like to finish it off properly, but I don’t think I will ever publish it.
From all the other work I have done it would be
hard to choose one over the others. Each
drawing has its own story, not to mention those that will never see the light
of day because the project fell through.
What
projects are you working on now? (If you can tell us)
Right now I’m working as Visual Development
Artist at Kandor Graphics in Granada, Spain, on the Upcoming Projects
Department.
Who are
some of your favorite artists out there?
Wow, there are quite a few! I have already mentioned one, a British
comic-book artist called Alan Davis, and I also like Iain McCaig, Claire
Wendling, Armand Serrano, Marcos Mateu, Chris Sanders, Andrew Shek, David
Colman, José Manuel Fernández Oli. I’m a
big fan of many artists!
Could you
talk about your process in coloring your art, as well as the types of tools or
media that you use?
I’m always learning new things about color, as
it’s never been one of my strong points, unfortunately. I usually start with Col-Erase or freehand
using a Wacom and Photoshop. In the
beginning I went forth using watercolor and airbrush, but since discovering
digital I haven’t looked back.
What part
of designing is most fun and easy, and what is most difficult?
Most fun: Rough sketching! Filling the page up with mad things! I do also enjoy cleaning up though, when I’m
fully into the design phase. Least fun: Color.
It’s still the most difficult part of the process for me. Staring at all that white is terrible!
What are
some of the things that you do to keep yourself creative?
I leaf through all the art books I am
(constantly, LOL) buying. When I’m a bit
low on ideas I sit on the sofa surrounded by books and soak up the things I see
inside them.
What are
some of your favorite designs which you have seen?
I love the work of Iain McCaig, whatever project
you name (hmm, maybe all the designs he did for Star Wars), Wendling and
IguanaBay 2.0.... and everything from my friend Oli!
What is
your most favorite subject to draw? And why?
Faces and the female form, because they’re such
lovely subjects to draw, but I like the mix of human and animal – there you
have infinite possibilities!
What
inspired you to become an Artist?
When we were kids my brothers and I were
fortunate to be surrounded by all sorts of storybooks and comics. Growing up reading and seeing what you could
achieve inspired me a lot. I wanted to
be a part of it, and in the end I was lucky to have been able to make my own
little contribution.
What are
some of the neat things you have learned from other artists that you have
worked with or seen?
I have learned to respect my work, and also that
insecurity in oneself never helps, whatever industry you work in.
What wisdom
could you give us, about being an Artist? Do you have any tips you could give?
First of all, be humble. Egos abound in this industry, and are usually
a hindrance. Better leave it at
home. We are fortunate to work in something
we like (even though we suffer sometimes) so we should try not to lose our
motivation along the way. Draw, draw,
draw... never stop learning, and above all, surround yourself with good source
documentation!
If people
would like to contact you, how would you like to be contacted?
My email: info@carolinacuenca.com
My web: www.carolinacuenca.com
Finally, do
you have any of your art work for sale (sketchbook, prints, or anything) for
people that like your work can know where and when to buy it?
Unfortunately I don’t have anything on sale yet.
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